Defy

by Sara B. Larson

  “Sire, please.” I tried to keep my voice low, gruff, but I was afraid my panic had already given me away. “They are only a day or two behind me — they could be here tomorrow!”

  But King Hector was truly done with me this time. Iker grabbed my arm and yanked me away, pushing me to walk in front of him. Once we’d exited the counsel room and the door shut behind us, he faced me.

  “After you, Alex. I believe you know the way.” He gave me a little mocking bow, gesturing toward the courtyard surrounded by all of the palace wings, and far below us, the dungeons.

  I pulled my shoulders back and lifted my chin, walking as confidently as I could, even though I was trembling inside.

  I’d failed. The king had seen right through the lies, just as I’d feared he would. All of that discomfort and acting to convince the Blevonese army — and Antion’s spies — we were truly prisoners was for nothing.

  Now Damian, Tinso, and the others would arrive tomorrow, believing I would be there, waiting to stop Iker. Instead, they would find themselves walking straight into a bloodbath.

  THE DUNGEON WAS worse than I’d remembered.

  “What are you doing down here, Little Boss?” Jaerom asked when he saw me come down the stairs with Iker on my heels.

  “He is to be imprisoned until the king decides what further use — if any — he has for him,” Iker said, his voice as oily as his thinning hair.

  “He wants to imprison Alex?”

  The shock on Jaerom’s face obviously didn’t sit well with Iker, because he immediately snapped at him, “Give me those keys, keeper!”

  Jaerom jumped to attention, seeming to remember who he was talking to. “Yes, sir. Here is the master key.”

  Iker grabbed a torch and shoved me past Jaerom’s desk and into the dark, putrid depths of the dungeon.

  “This is as good as any, I suppose,” he said, stopping before an empty cell about halfway down. He tried to grab my arm to toss me in, but I pulled out of his grip and walked in of my own accord. “Prideful to the end, I see. They say pride goeth before the fall, Alex.” Iker smirked at me.

  “Tell the king that I can help him win this battle, if he’ll let me,” I said, making one last desperate attempt to accomplish my goal. “I heard rumors when our guards thought we were sleeping. King Osgand’s general is amassing sorcerers from all across the nation of Blevon. He’s bringing as much of the army as he can. You will be outnumbered. At the very least, let me fight for you!”

  Iker’s dark gaze in the light of the flames from the torch sent ice through my body, and I had to fight not to shudder. Without another word, he turned and left, slamming the door shut and locking me into the eternal darkness and heat. I was completely alone in the very cell in which I’d come to see Tanoori almost two months ago. The same chair she’d been tied to still sat in the corner.

  I slid to the ground and dropped my head into my hands. My eyes burned and I had to grit my teeth to keep from crying. They were all going to die. General Tinso, Eljin, the Insurgi … Rylan.

  Damian.

  There was nothing I could do to warn them or stop the massacre that was sure to happen, if I was locked up down here in the depths of hell.

  Minutes, then hours passed, interminably slow. It was impossible to tell how long I’d been imprisoned. I was unable to sleep at all, even though I was exhausted. Jaerom brought me food, but I could barely bring myself to eat the disgusting slop. It was not fit for hogs. Instead, I paced and when my legs grew too tired to keep it up, I slid down against the wall, and sat on the stone floor, staring into the darkness.

  I’d always joked about the inmates going insane down here, but now I was one of them, and I already felt like I was losing my mind.

  After staring into the darkness blindly for hours since the last time Jaerom had brought me a meal, a key rattled in the door. I scrambled to my feet and backed up to the wall. When I saw Deron standing in the doorway, holding a torch and a sword, I was simultaneously overcome with relief and fear.

  “Get out here, and hurry,” he whispered harshly, gesturing at me. I cautiously stepped toward him, afraid it was a trap.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, my voice hoarse from disuse.

  “Something’s wrong. The king has ordered every able-bodied man and boy to arm himself and assemble in the courtyard. He’s made every army battalion in Tubatse come inside the palace walls. He’s even forcing women to arm themselves and prepare to fight. The rumor is that the entire Blevonese army is marching on the palace.”

  I stared at Deron in the flickering light of the torch.

  “Is it true? Are they coming?”

  I nodded. “But it isn’t what you think,” I added when I saw the flash of fear in his eyes. “Deron, do you trust me?”

  He gave me a sharp look. “What are you talking about?”

  “Do you trust me?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Good.” I glanced down the hallway, but it was empty. “Where is the rest of the guard?”

  The skin around Deron’s mouth tightened and he closed his eyes briefly before answering, sending my heart pounding in dread. “Kai and Antonio are dead; the king had them killed for failing to save the prince. The rest of us were punished — even those who were sleeping — but at least we’re alive.”

  I stared at the scar on his face, realizing what it meant. “Jude, too?”

  Deron nodded. “Scarred, but alive.”

  I couldn’t believe Kai and Antonio were gone, but there was no time to dwell on it. “Where are they?”

  “Gathering their weapons and preparing to fight. I told them I was going to find more men, but Iker will notice I’m not there soon if we don’t hurry.”

  My heart began to pound as I thought of a plan — a very risky plan.

  “I need you to find me a mask,” I said.

  “A mask?”

  “Then I need you or someone else in the guard to help me get next to Iker when the Blevonese army arrives.”

  Deron’s eyes widened. “Next to Iker? Why?”

  “Because if we are to have any hope of surviving this day, and saving the prince and Antion, I have to kill him.”

  Deron’s mouth dropped open.

  “We have a great deal to talk about,” I said.

  Deron recovered himself, and nodded. “Yes … yes, I think we do.”

  THERE WERE SO many people packed inside the palace walls that there was hardly room to walk, let alone fight. If the Blevonese soldiers were able to breach the wall, we’d be slaughtered just as badly as they would be. If I wasn’t able to stop Iker, the king was almost assured his victory — but at what cost? Did he intend to be the king of a graveyard?

  I stood near Deron and Jude. The other members of the guard were spread out around the grounds in strategic locations, helping me watch for Iker’s location. He couldn’t hide inside the palace and fight. He’d have to be out here somewhere, most likely somewhere with a good vantage point over the fighting, but not within range of archers. Not that a little arrow was anything he’d have to worry about, I realized.

  Jude’s face, which had always been so similar to his brother’s, was now distinctly different. He had a long scar snaking down the length of one side of it, just like Deron did. I understood now why Damian had decided to do what he did, the necessity of the abduction. But it had come at a great cost to these men whom I cared for — loved.

  Even Jerrod seemed relieved to see me alive. For all of his animosity, he didn’t want me to die any more than I wished such a fate on him.

  The oppressive heat of the jungle swelled in the burning rays of the afternoon sun. The air was heavy with humidity and I was already sweating beneath the mask Deron had found for me. I felt like Eljin, with a scrap of black fabric covering my nose and mouth. Deron had also found me different clothes, an old uniform from someone in the army. I had a sword strapped to my waist as we searched the crowd for my target. If I had any hope of inching my way next to Iker in time,
we had to find him soon. If all went according to plan, General Tinso and his army had left an hour after my captors and me. They would travel a bit slower than my guards and I had, but they planned on arriving only a day or two behind me. The Insurgi would also be with them.

  Finally, Mateo flashed a tiny mirror to signal us that he’d spotted Iker. Mateo was standing near the stairs that went up to the top of the wall, where the archers would be waiting to shoot down the Blevonese soldiers before they got close enough to pull out their swords.

  “There he is.” Deron pointed and I nodded, my heart sinking. Iker was walking up the stairs to stand atop of the wall. How would I ever make it up there without him growing suspicious and cutting me down? A member of the army wearing a mask in this mass of people wasn’t too noticeable right now. But one running up the stairs after him? Not good.

  “How are you going to get up there without him recognizing you — even with the mask?” Jude asked, echoing my own thoughts.

  “I don’t know.” I sighed heavily. Why did everything that could go wrong keep going wrong?

  “We’ve got to get over there, though, so I guess I’ll think about it on the way.”

  Deron took the lead, using his bigger body and strength to push through the mass of soldiers and palace workers. I followed in his wake, with Jude right on my heels. If there hadn’t been so many people in the way, I could have crossed the grounds to where Mateo stood in less than a minute. Instead, it took us much longer — too long. Before we made it there, Iker stood over us on the wall walk.

  “People of Antion!” he shouted, his voice echoing over the noise of thousands. A hush spread over the assembled men and women. I was dismayed to see so many girls and women, in their threadbare skirts, clutching weapons uncomfortably, fear written plainly on their faces. Most of them were painfully thin, and they jumped away from the men around them with looks of terror. They had to be women from the breeding house. My stomach turned and I looked up at Iker with hatred burning in me stronger than anything I’d ever felt in my life.

  “The army of our enemy approaches! Will we let them conquer us?” He paused and then screamed, “No! We will fight! We will fight for our king and for Antion! Show no mercy to the dirty heathens who support the evil practice of sorcery!” A violent cheer of approval rose up from the men in the crowd. The woman were mostly silent, grasping their weapons with trembling hands.

  “They have brought their sorcerers with them — but will we let them win?”

  “No!” the crowd shouted back.

  “We will fight them! We will destroy them! We will sacrifice our very lives if necessary to protect our nation and our freedom from the slavery of sorcery!” Iker punched his fist in the air and, all around me, men and even some of the women did the same, shouting and screaming in agreement. It sounded almost as if he’d enthralled them in a spell of bloodlust and hatred for the very power he wielded.

  “If he were close enough for me to cut his throat, I would,” Deron growled next to me, through the wild cheering around us.

  “He’d throw up a shield and kill you before you knew what had happened,” I muttered darkly.

  “Are you sure you can do this?” Deron looked down at me.

  Before I could answer, Iker turned and began to head back down the stairs. “Now where’s he going?” Jude asked.

  When Iker reached the bottom of the stairs, passing Mateo without acknowledging him, the crowd parted. Iker walked swiftly across the grounds to the ten steps leading to the massive palace doors. He walked up the stairs until he stood directly in front of the entryway, cutting off anyone who wished to flee inside the palace. He was visible above the crowd, but anyone who wanted to fight him would now have to cut their way through hundreds of men and women first and then climb a flight of stairs to reach him. He would easily be able to use his sorcery to stop anyone who tried to get to him.

  “I’ve got to get closer to him,” I said.

  We began to work our way closer to him yet again when I saw one of the king’s guards drag Jaerom up the steps to stand in front of Iker. It looked like his eye was swollen shut and his mouth was bleeding.

  “Deron, stop!” I grabbed his arm and we froze, watching in fear as Iker bent over Jaerom, his face twisted with sudden fury. We were too far away to hear what was said, but it was obvious Iker was asking him something because Jaerom kept shaking his head. Iker suddenly grabbed his throat, and Jaerom’s eyes widened.

  “Jaerom!” Deron cried out, but luckily the noise of the crowd masked his voice.

  “No, Deron!” I yanked him back. “We can’t help him; Iker will kill all of us!” Deron continued to fight me. Jude had to grab his other arm as Iker shouted something at Jaerom loud enough for me to catch the words where, tell, and now. Jaerom’s whole body began to quake violently when he shook his head no again, refusing to speak. Icy-hot fingers of panic spread through me. I had a sinking feeling that someone had discovered I was missing and Iker was torturing Jaerom to find out what had happened.

  Iker finally let go of Jaerom, who fell to his hands and knees on the ground in front of the smaller man. Deron fought wildly for us to let him go, and it took every ounce of our strength to hold him back, even though my eyes burned with tears. Jaerom was protecting me. I was sure of it.

  Iker shouted again, his face mottled with rage. Jaerom looked up at him for a long moment, and I held my breath.

  And then he spit in Iker’s face.

  Iker grabbed the sword from the guard’s scabbard and Jaerom didn’t even put up his arm to block the blade as Iker swung it around toward his neck.

  “Jaerom!” Deron’s howl of pain and fury tore my heart to pieces. He finally stopped fighting us when Jaerom’s body fell to the ground in front of Iker, rolling down a couple of stairs before stopping, lifeless. Tears blinded me as my captain dropped to his knees, his face pale with shock.

  “Deron, you have to get up,” Jude said, tugging on his arm. “People are looking at us. Iker’s going to notice!”

  But before Deron could respond, the whistle from the watchtower high above us split the air.

  An icy chill of dread ran down my spine.

  The Blevonese army was here.

  ALL OF THE conversations around us stopped. A deathly silence fell over the crowd as the warning whistle was repeated.

  Deron slowly climbed to his feet, still staring at the stairs, where Jaerom lay. I couldn’t look and, instead, turned to the wall, where I could see lines of archers at the ready, their bows taut and arrows notched, ready to fly.

  Where was Damian? Would he be at the front, expecting the gate to open and welcome Antion’s prince back to the palace with the Blevonese army at his heels? And Rylan? Where would he be? My heart felt like it might explode in my chest from the panic and pain pounding through me. I couldn’t let myself think about it. I had to focus on Iker — that was my job, my duty. Nothing else mattered if I didn’t find a way to stop him.

  When the first volley of arrows was loosed, I turned to see if Iker still stood on the stairs, but they were empty except for Jaerom’s body. In the brief moments that I’d spent looking at the wall, he had disappeared.

  “Deron! Where did he go?” I asked, grabbing his arm.

  “He went into the palace,” he replied tonelessly, his hands hanging at his side.

  “They’re here, Deron. The army and Damian are here. I have to find Iker!”

  He looked down at me, his face and eyes empty.

  “Captain, please!”

  But there was nothing. He was broken.

  “Alex, come on. I’ll go with you,” Jude said from my other side. But before we could move, the ground began to shake and a roar filled the air. All around us, people screamed and shouted in fear.

  “The sorcerers! It’s the sorcerers!” people began to yell. “Kill the sorcerers who murdered our queen!”

  The sound of a massive explosion rocked the air and I spun around to see the giant iron and wood gate blown to
pieces before my eyes. All the people who had been standing near it were knocked to the ground, shards of wood and iron piercing their bodies.

  “They’ve breached the wall!”

  “Swords at the ready!”

  I could barely see the rows and rows of Blevonese soldiers outside the wall before Jude grabbed my arm. “Come on, Alex. We’ve got to go now before it’s too late!”

  I turned and followed him through the crowd toward the steps as the sounds of fighting broke out across the grounds from us. Blades hitting blades, screams as people were cut down. As people died. More booms, more screams. I couldn’t look back. I had to find Iker.

  I had to kill Iker.

  And then he was there. Only this time, he wore robes of all black, and on one hand was a strange glove made of metal, inlaid with jewels. He gripped a sword in his other hand. He stood over the crowd, surveying the destruction. Instead of fear or sadness, his face was lit with a terrifying look of hunger. Of exultation.

  “I’ll approach him first, to distract him,” Jude said from beside me. “Then you can attack from the other side, and take him by surprise.”

  “Jude, no!” I grabbed his arm before he dashed off. “He’ll kill you!”

  He turned to look at me with the same chocolate brown eyes as his brother’s, and gently pulled his arm out of my grasp. “I know. But you said it yourself — you have to stop him. And if you just go running at him, he’ll kill you, and then we’ll all die.”

  I wanted to argue with him. I wanted to tell him he couldn’t do this. But he was right, and I knew it.

  “You can do this, Alex. I wouldn’t try to help you if I didn’t think you could.”

  “Alexa,” I said, my voice thick with tears.

  “What?”

  “My name is Alexa.”

  He stared at me for a long moment, and then his eyes filled with understanding — with sorrow. “I know you can do this, Alexa.”